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Zhang Tong

China has unveiled materials for the construction of a future lunar base that could be sourced directly from the moon and more durable than conventional concrete bricks.
In a report on Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV said the interlocking blocks, which appeared to be black and resembled basalt found on the lunar surface, each weighed about half a kilogram (1 pound).
When two blocks are connected, they form a square 3cm (1.2 inches) high and 10cm deep.
The building blocks were developed by the National Centre for Technology Innovation in Digital Construction at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
The centre was established in 2022 and has been researching ways to build on the moon.
“These bricks are created by simulating the composition of real lunar soil, followed by a sintering process,” Zhou Cheng, a professor with the centre, said in the report.
“The compressive strength of these ‘lunar regolith bricks’ is over three times that of ordinary bricks and concrete blocks, capable of withstanding over a tonne per square centimetre.”

The blocks interlock in a mortise and tenon design so they can be assembled for a lunar base without nails or glue.
According to the report, the researchers were able to make the blocks using simulated lunar soil alone, suggesting that structures could be built on the moon from in-situ dust and solar energy, minimising the need to bring building parts from Earth.
The soil was sintered into the shape through hot pressing.
“Engineers weigh the simulated lunar soil, place it in a mould, apply uniform pressure, and then heat it in a vacuum hot press at temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius [1,832 Fahrenheit],” Zhou said.
In coming months, these bricks will be transported to the Chinese space station aboard the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft to undergo exposure experiments in space. This journey will test their key performances in mechanics, thermodynamics, and radiation resistance.
The tests are crucial to understanding whether the materials can withstand the extreme temperature variations on the lunar surface, cosmic radiation, and impacts from micro-meteorites.
With temperatures exceeding 180 degrees Celsius during the day and dropping to minus 190 degrees Celsius at night, the blocks will have to show strong thermal insulation properties.
The absence of an atmosphere on the moon also means the materials will be exposed more to cosmic radiation and hits from micro-meteorites, along with high-frequency lunar quakes. Researchers will assess whether the mechanical properties of the blocks deteriorate under such conditions.

The team will send up a range of blocks, of varying design, composition and manufacture for testing.
“These five different compositions include simulations of the soil found in the mare region where Chang’e-5 landed and the highlands where Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 are set to land. The former primarily consists of basalt, while the latter is predominantly anorthosite,” Zhou said.
“The particle composition of soil in different locations and regions is different. We aim to understand the degradation patterns of these bricks under different moulding processes in the space station environment.”
The samples will head into space and be brought back to Earth for analysis in batches, with the first expected to return by the end of 2025.
China plans to launch the Chang’e-7 mission in 2026 to conduct environmental and resource surveys at the lunar south pole.
Two years later, the Chang’e-8 mission will form a basic scientific research station at the lunar south pole together with Chang’e-7.
By 2030, China plans to have a manned lunar landing. A fully functional international lunar scientific research station will be built by 2040 to conduct space environment detection and scientific experiments.


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Science

Will these be the building blocks of China’s base on the moon?

The blocks join in a mortar and tenon design. Photo: CCTV

China aims to have a lunar base up and running by 2040. Image: China Academy of Space Technology

The blocks are believed to be more durable than conventional concrete blocks. Photo: CCTV

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The Chang’e-6 mission soil samples are being stored in a nitrogen-filled cabinet alongside those from the Chang’e-5 mission, at the Lunar Sample Laboratory in Beijing. Photo: CCTV

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The Chang’e-6 ascender and lander is pictured on June 3. Photo: AFP / China National Space Administration

The Chang’e-6 lunar sample handover ceremony held in Beijing, on June 28. Photo: Xinhua 

News

China

Researchers in Wuhan simulate lunar soil to create what could become the foundations of a space outpost


Researchers in Wuhan simulate lunar soil to create what could become the foundations of a space outpost.


China's space programme

Chang’e-5

Chang’e-6